'arvicola' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'arvicola', where 'arvum' meant 'ploughed field' and the suffix 'cola' (from 'colere') meant 'dweller'.

'arvicola' was a Classical Latin word meaning 'field-dweller'; it was retained in Medieval and New Latin and later adopted into modern scientific nomenclature as the genus name 'Arvicola' for certain voles.

Initially, it meant 'field-dweller' in general Latin usage; over time it became specialized in scientific contexts to denote a genus or to serve as a specific epithet indicating habitat ('field-dweller').